CFI Celebrates Federal Appeals Court’s Rejection of Proposition 8

February 7, 2012

The Center for Inquiry (CFI)
is rejoicing over today’s ruling by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that
California's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

As
Judge Stephen Reinhardt rightly stated in the court’s 2-1 decision, “Although
the Constitution permits communities to enact most laws they believe to be
desirable, it requires that there be at least a legitimate reason for the
passage of a law that treats different people differently. There was no such
reason that Proposition 8 could have been enacted. All that Proposition 8
accomplished was to take away from same sex-couples the right to be granted
marriage licenses and thus legally to use the designation ‘marriage.’ Proposition
8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and
human dignity of gay men and lesbians in California."

CFI
has been a leader in the fight for marriage equality for years, and supports
the court’s decision as fair and just. It is a pivotal step forward in the
national marriage equality movement.

“LGBT
individuals are entitled to the same rights as anyone else,” said Ronald
A. Lindsay, president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry.
“Marriage is an important institution in our society. Denying same-sex couples
the right to express their love through marriage is to deny them equal protection
under the law as well as a fundamental human right.”

CFI would also
like to applaud the appeals court for rejecting the argument that the federal
district court’s decision was invalid on the grounds that Judge Vaughn Walker should
have removed himself from the case because, as he subsequently disclosed, he
was in a same-sex relationship. The appeals court ruled that being gay did not
disqualify Judge Walker from ruling on the case any more than being
heterosexual would have disqualified him.

Comment

Office of Public Policy

Washington, D.C.

Michael De Dora is director of the Center for Inquiry's Office of Public Policy and the organization's representative to the United Nations. In addition, he serves as president of the United Nations NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief.